From staff reports
news@joplinglobe.com
A Joplin man was taken into custody Wednesday on drug charges, but not before his dog bit a detective who was helping to apprehend him, according to police.
Justin W. Toman, 24, faces multiple counts of distribution, delivery, manufacture or production of a controlled substance, a Class B felony.
Two of those counts were filed ahead of the drug raid Wednesday at Toman’s home. The third count was filed after the raid.
The narcotics unit of the Joplin Police Department, in conjunction with the Jasper County Drug Task Force, executed a warrant Wednesday at Toman’s home at 740 S. New Hampshire Ave.
After detectives entered the home, police said, Toman’s dog tried to bite one of the detectives, who in turn tried to kick it away to no avail. The dog persisted, ultimately biting one of the detectives on the shin. The other detective then shot and killed the dog.
The detective “was treated at the hospital and released,” police Lt. Michael Hobson said Wednesday afternoon.
Police said they found 13 bags of methamphetamine and/or marijuana in Toman’s residence, along with “numerous pieces” of drug paraphernalia.
Toman’s dog, according to Joplin police, had previously been quarantined for biting someone. Toman could face charges of having a dangerous animal, police said.
Information about Toman was not available Wednesday afternoon from a Jasper County jailer.
Online records
Online court records show that Justin Toman’s bond was set at $25,000, and that he already faced one felony drug charge stemming from a March 2009 incident investigated by the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department. Specifics in that case were not available Wednesday, but a hearing in it is pending on Dec. 2.
